Keep Connected to Your Government Through This Guide

Al Gore and George W. Bush have both proposed expanding “e-government,” which enables citizens to access government information and services via the Internet. Gore’s proposal is more elaborate and reflects his longstanding interest in the Web. But only Bush’s proposal endorses creating a government-wide information czar, or chief information officer.

John Judis is a senior editor at the New Republic and author of The Paradox of American Democracy. Jonathan Rauch is a columnist for the National Journal and the author of Government’s End: Why Washington Stopped Working. This week they grill each other on their respective books.

The deaths of John F. Kennedy Jr. and the Bessette sisters have inspired myriad debates over the safety of private planes, as well as a lot of criticism of Kennedy’s decision to brave the night sky over ocean in his Piper Saratoga II HP. Obviously, it’s not the government’s role to prevent people from taking the sort of risks they think makes life worth living. But should Washington be spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year encouraging the risky business of private air travel?

VerticalNet Inc. is the Internet’s leading business-to-business e-commerce enabler, providing end-to-end e-commerce solutions that are targeted at distinct business segments. VerticalNet.com andSlatehave partnered to provide resources in the following categories: